Northern Strangers are proud to announce our funky, psychedelic new single “Dreams/Love and Light.” The track began as a slow country/gospel type of tune, evocative of the Grateful Dead’s Brokedown Palace. Then, in a moment of inspiration, guitarist/lyricist Dan Graul started crafting an arrangement that calls on punky folk attitude, a la The Avett Brothers, Motown era soul and funk, with a touch of the 90’s alongside the usual suspects of influence (like Pink Floyd/David Bowie/Talking Heads).

The song is a personal testimony from Graul about the power of overcoming your most base fears and personal paranoia through the idea that, sometimes, the best answer is simply to abandon fear and seek out the love and positivity in the universe; the chorus touts “all things must change, we’ll never be prepared” and concludes with “the past is gone, when we move on and find the love and light.” The lyrics that speak to dreams of being chased and waking with a fright refer to actual recurring dreams Dan experienced as a child. and a tangible fear that only love could overcome.

“Dreams/Love and Light” will be available for download and streaming on iTunes, Spotify, Bandcamp, Amazon, Google Play, etc. on Friday, April 27th. The track is the second release from Northern Strangers upcoming EP “Make America Love Again.”

Northern Strangers will be playing 2 shows at Fair Grinds Coffeehouse in New Orleans, LA during the second weekend of Jazzfest 2018! Catch us on your way out of the Fairgrounds on Thursday or on your way into the Fest on Saturday.

Download The Waiting Song – https://northernstrangers.bandcamp.com/track/the-waiting-song

What are you waiting for?!? Northern Strangers want you to know that you have the power to make your fantasies come true! The Los Angeles based psychedelic folk band are sick and tired of the divisive state of society and have set out to sing the praises of you with the music video for their new single “The Waiting Song.”

What do a hapless king, a hopeless prisoner, a wanting princess and a meddling sorceress have in common with you? We all get that feeling that we’re stuck in a story that’s far out of our control from time to time. In Northern Strangers’ whimsical new music video, through a strange twist of fate that intertwines them, each of these fairy-tale characters find their power to create change – the same power that we all possess.

Take the love from your heart and put it into action! Take that chance! Make that new friend! The ride of your life starts now – and you are in the drivers seat. Where do you want to go next?

Download or stream the track at iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, Google, Bandcamp and all other major outlets.

Where is the moment I’ve waited for
All of my life it’s all strife til that moment arrives
A waiting game gathering dust on the shelf
While the story I’m living keeps writing itself
Oh no no no no don’t turn the page
I’ve got time I’m young for my age
Deep down in my soul I’m afraid
Of Now

We’re all waiting
For our lives to begin
But the truth is
We started it the day we came in
To this world
It’s no wonder
We’re fearing the end
But the trouble
Starts when you let the fear win
Just begin
(But the songs say…)

Where is the moment I’ve waited for
All of my life it’s all strife til that moment arrives
A waiting game gathering dust on the shelf
While the story I’m living keeps writing itself
Oh no no no no don’t turn the page
I’ve got time I’m young for my age
Deep down in my soul I’m afraid
Of Now

Grab the pages
Tear them out of the book
Light a fire
To lead you where you want to look

credits

released November 22, 2017

The Waiting Song was recorded and produced by the Voodoo Bear at Manhattan Studio in Montrose, CA.

What are you waiting for?!? Northern Strangers want you to know that you have the power to make your fantasies come true! The Los Angeles based psychedelic folk band are sick and tired of the divisive state of society and have set out to sing the praises of you with the music video for their new single “The Waiting Song” — coming Thanksgiving 2017.

What do a hapless king, a hopeless prisoner, a wanting princess and a meddling sorceress have in common with you? We all get that feeling that we’re stuck in a story that’s far out of our control from time to time. In Northern Strangers’ whimsical new music video, through a strange twist of fate that intertwines them, each of these fairy-tale characters find their power to create change – the same power that we all possess.

Take the love from your heart and put it into action! Take that chance! Make that new friend! The ride of your life starts now – and you are in the drivers seat. Where do you want to go next? Check out Northern Strangers’ new music video this Thanksgiving!. Download or stream the track at iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, Google, Bandcamp and all other major outlets.

The Waiting Song was recorded and produced by the Voodoo Bear at Manhattan Studio in Montrose, CA.

Just in time for Earth Day 2017, Northern Strangers announce the release of their new animated music video for The River Pt. 1: Fossils, from their latest album, Where The River Goes.

Lovers of nature and the environment, Rebecca and Dan Graul, keyboard and guitar, spend hours at LA’s Natural History Museum. One day a fossil caught their eye. They wondered in awe at a majestic beast that roamed the Earth 65 million years ago. Sadly, it appeared that this particular dinosaur may have simply chosen to lay down and succumb to the changing world it could not control.

The two set to work and wove a dark tale of Jurassic proportions with an environmental message that hits eerily close to home and our current climates. The song came together as a classic rock-infused epic poem, following the plight of the last dinosaur on Earth. The music video, crafted in the style of Japanese paper animation, follows the tragic story of the dinosaurs caught in the brutal wake of an evolving planet.

As Earth Day approaches, we are reminded how we have exploited, and allowed to be pushed, the resources of our shared planet, at whose mercy our very existence lies. Northern Strangers explore uncomfortable and sobering questions – will the cycle of history and the winds of change blow us all to this same destructive fate? Will the children yet-to-be wonder what has become of our humanity?

Fox Warriors is a Folk Music Collective based out of Los Angeles, CA. The project was launched by Dan Graul (Northern Strangers, YHWH) in February 2017. Fox Warriors are set to release their first music video, a cover of the timeless Talking Heads love song This Must Be The Place, on Valentine’s Day 2017. Picking up on a certain disdain for the Parks Service from our newly inaugurated government, Dan wanted to give something back to the national treasures that have given him so much inspiration and continue to deliver the importance of wildness. He decided to channel his emotions into action with the creation of Fox Warriors. Dan decided to direct the first release as a kind of postcard, with love to the Parks. The music video is comprised of footage shot by Dan and his wife Rebecca on their adventures throughout America’s National Parks, and all proceeds from the track (available on 2/14/17 at foxwarriors.bandcamp.com) will be donated towards the future of the Parks. Fox Warriors debut EP “Wild Roots” is forthcoming.